My child, if you co-sign a loan for a friend or guarantee the debt of someone you hardly know–if you have trapped yourself by your agreement and are caught by what you said– quick, get out of it if you possibly can! You have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy. Now swallow your pride; go and beg to have your name erased. Don’t put it off. Do it now! Don’t rest until you do. Save yourself like a deer escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net. (Prov 6:1-5 NLT)

Ever had one of those “Oh, no! What have I done?” moments?

We’ve all had them. No one is exempt. It may be something said, done, or not done. The important thing is not so much what was or was not done but what IS done after.

I am speaking of accountability–acknowledging and accepting responsibility for our actions. I see a trend in our world today to avoiding accountability. “Don’t blame me!” they say. It’s always someone else’s fault. Well, if they did it, they should wear it.

Today’s Scripture passage is an admonition to be accountable for what we do. You can read it and apply it to the specific situation it describes or, take it as a greater lesson in accountability. Of course, this is where I am going.

An important point of accountability is not to make excuses! Do not excuse wrongdoing or error regardless of circumstance or reason. Reason is irrelevant. Wrong is wrong. Do not conceal it. Like a wound, concealed wrong will only fester. Get it out in the open where the infection can be healed.

• If you made a mistake, admit it and seek a solution.
• If you hurt someone, acknowledge it and ask their forgiveness.
• If you defrauded someone, “own it” and make it right.
• If you lied, be truthful, even if it hurts.

Though this could be a long list, I am confident you understand. So, let me get to the point: Why is this important?

I believe most important is that we must maintain integrity in our relationship with God. If we lie, conceal, or fail to be accountable, it hurts our relationship with Him. We cannot be whole with God while being intentionally “unwhole” (deceptive, dishonest, etc.) with someone. God does not allow it to work that way.

Another important point is that when we agree with the enemy (which means to act according to his characteristics), we give him a foothold in our lives. Footholds become strongholds. Strongholds become habits, weaknesses, or “blind” areas. And those eventually lead to all kinds of disorder and mayhem.

This all must be kept in balance because ANYTHING can be taken to extremes–even accountability itself. God recently revealed a very old stronghold (pattern of thinking) working in my life. Previously unable to see it, it caused me to perceive some things in my life as failures when, in fact, they were things God was doing. This caused me to be very hard on myself over the years. I call it “hyper-accountability.”

It caused me a lot of problems. This pattern was established during the time I was abused as a child and was revealed because I was at last ready. As soon as I saw it, I asked His forgiveness. Now it no longer limits me. (Long story… I’ll share it with you one day soon.)

The point of today’s message is: Don’t look for someone to blame. When you recognize a failure or wrong action, be accountable for it. I assure you that once you learn to make this a part of your life, it is one of the most freeing things you can do.

from Randall Vaugn, friend of AllWorship.

(c) 2023 Randall Vaughn • All Rights Reserved • http://www.e-min.org